Time should fit crime.

• Position: Letters

I think that for very serious crimes, such as murder, teenagers should be tried as adults ("Youth Crime ... Adult Time," 1/21/02); a juvenile detention center is not enough. I also think that it is not right to put a teen in an adult prison for a nonviolent crime, such as auto theft or vandalism. Teens who commit such crimes can be helped. But if they repeatedly commit crimes, we should treat them as criminals, not as kids.

BREANNA BOLES Coalinga, Calif. I think it is time for the government to re-evaluate some of the old rules regarding youth crime. I think there should be a middle ground, where teenagers are not tried as kids, nor as adults. Teenagers who commit crimes need to learn that what they did was wrong, but that there will be a future for them in which...